Chennai Super Kings confirmed on Tuesday that Ayush Mhatre will miss the rest of the campaign after damaging his left hamstring, an injury sustained while he was turning for a second run against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 18 April.
“Ayush’s injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks. We wish Ayush a speedy recovery,” CSK posted on their social channels, adding no further medical details and stopping short of naming a replacement.
The 18-year-old had been the side’s leading run-scorer, striking at better than a run a ball and often papering over the franchise’s creaky middle order. Without him, CSK are down to three fit top-order regulars, a situation the back-room staff privately concede is “less than ideal”.
A senior support-staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity because the franchise has yet to file its official squad update with the IPL technical committee, said: “Losing a youngster who’s been batting that well is tough, but we have to get on with it. The medical team will map out his programme, and the rest of us have to find runs elsewhere.”
CSK must now decide whether to draft a like-for-like Indian batter or lean on an overseas option, a choice complicated by the tournament’s limit of four overseas players in any XI. League rules give them seven days to declare a replacement.
From Mhatre’s perspective, the six-to-twelve-week window puts him on track to resume full training shortly before India’s domestic one-day competition begins in late July, provided there are no setbacks. Hamstring strains of this nature typically involve graded running, gym work and a monitored return to high-intensity fielding drills. “The first ten days are usually about reducing swelling and re-establishing normal movement,” a BCCI-accredited physio, not associated with CSK, noted. “After that you’re looking at controlled sprinting before you even think about batting volume.”
Chennai sit mid-table at the halfway point. They have struggled for momentum, winning three of seven so far, and the dressing-room mood was already a touch fragile after defeats to Mumbai and Hyderabad. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad now has to shuffle batting roles again, possibly pushing himself up to open, though he has preferred the No.3 berth this season.
CSK play Rajasthan Royals in Chennai on Friday. The squad trained lightly on Tuesday evening, netting fringe batters in an extended centre-wicket to simulate match pressure. Whether that group contains Mhatre’s eventual stand-in should be clear once the franchise files its paperwork.
For now, the bright-eyed teenager who lit up early April will be watching from the stands, notebook in hand, plotting a comeback many hope is as quick as his rise.
